Tigers Run Over Missouri! (with unit grades)

Not even the referee could slow down Tre Mason and Auburn’s rushing attack!(Photo by Derrick Roberts)

War Eagle, everybody! It’s time now for the Acid Reign report, on Auburn’s electrifying 59-42 victory over the Missouri Tigers in the SEC Championship Game. The two SEC Division heavyweights traded multiple big blows in the first half, before the Auburn ground game pulled away from the Tigers from Missouri in the final stanza. Along the way the Auburn Tigers shattered a number of SEC Championship records, including most points scored (59), most rushing yards (545), and most total yards (677).

For the past four weeks, we’ve heard a similar mantra from television and newspaper pundits: “Auburn is one-dimensional. This week, they are facing Team X, which will be able to stop the run and defeat the Tigers.” First it was Tennessee who was supposed to hang with Auburn. The Vols surrendered 444 rushing yards in a 55-23 rout. Then it was Georgia, and Todd Grantham’s defense which was finally getting healthy. It didn’t matter. Auburn rammed 338 rushing yards down Georgia’s gullet, in a 43-38 victory. A week ago, it was Alabama’s top ranked defense, which would finally doom Auburn. Instead, Auburn gashed Alabama for 296, in a 34-28 win that knocked Alabama off the top of the mountain. This week, it was supposed to be the mighty Mizzou front seven’s turn, and this morning I think I heard at least one rose-carrying TV pundit opine that Florida State would slow Auburn down. Folks, from where I sit, this Auburn offense is gathering steam against better and better competition.

The Auburn offensive line routinely crushed a good Mizzou front.(Photo by Acid Reign)

One thing I particularly enjoyed yesterday in Atlanta was circulating amongst the fans in attendance. I had figured that there might be a lot of empty seats, due to inclement weather in the midwest. Folks, Missouri fans are made of pretty hardy stuff. There were no empty seats. We enjoyed talking to a number of them, and it was a great experience every time. Most had driven as much as 14 hours over, through or around ice to get to the Championship Game, and they were spirited and loud in the stands. I think they’ve made a fine addition to the SEC. I salute our neighbors from the northwest, and they’ve made a good addition to the SEC fanbase, it is clear.

Defensively, Auburn took some lumps from probably the best collection of skill players outside of Lee County. Missouri took advantage of some Auburn tendencies, creating mismatches with Dorial Green-Beckham matched up one on one with safeties. They also noted when Auburn split the defensive ends wide, checking down to devastating draw plays with either Henry Josey or quarterback James Franklin carrying the mail. Frankly, I don’t think they ran Josey enough. He’s an elusive back that is difficult to get on the ground. Josey averaged 13.7 yards per carry, but they only gave it to him 9 times, due to trailing most of the game on the scoreboard.

Where Auburn slowed Missouri down was with the pass rush, and timely run stops from the defensive line. This was one game where Auburn did not match up well in the secondary, but the line and pass rush was able to force some errant throws. Auburn’s rush got stronger and stronger as the game wore on, which has been the pattern all year. Playing ten linemen regularly has paid big dividends for this team.

Auburn again had the edge on the opponent on special teams. I had heard worries from some Missouri sources about the legs of kicker Andrew Baggett and punter Christian Brinser. They needn’t have worried. Baggett had an A+ game, hitting all of his kicks and nailing 6 of 8 kickoffs. Where Auburn got the edge on special teams was with a flukey success on an onside kick attempt, which didn’t go 10 yards, but bounced off the chest of a Missouri player. Also, Chris Davis ripped off 36 yards on 2 punt returns, which hurt Brinser’s net, and set the Auburn offense up around midfield.

The SEC Champion Auburn Tigers celebrate!(Photo by Acid Reign)

Unit Grades after the jump!

Defensive Line: B+. This unit only tallied 12 total tackles, but their physical presence caused Missouri to abandon any notion of a power-based run game up the middle. The other Tigers did most of their rushing damage on check-down draw plays and speed-options to the boundary. While Missouri quarterback James Franklin tallied over 300 passing yards, he only managed a 56.7 percent completion percentage, as the line forced a number of errant throws. Auburn’s defensive line came up with 3 sacks and 7 quarterback hurries, according to offical stats. I think the psycological damage was worse. The main demerits I gave the line in this game was in the guard-tackle gaps on passing downs. Rarely did we see any inside move by an end, and the draw and quarterback keeper worked like a charm repeatedly. This may be because defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson did not want the quarterback to escape to the outside, but it was a tactical weakness for much of the game.

Linebackers: B-. Again, the linebackers must bear some responsibility for successful draw and option plays. Auburn hasn’t seen many option-pitches this season, and there was some hesitation playing those. With star Robensen Therezie used nearly exclusively in coverage this game, two linebackers had to try and contain the speedy Missouri backfield. In addition, Ellis Johnson had the defense take some chances up front, this game. They showed a number of different alignments, forcing a check-off, then they’d move again before the snap. There were a number of linebacker blitzes, this game. It worked at times, with the unit combining for 20 total tackles, and 4 quarterback hurries. When it didn’t, results could be ugly.

Secondary: D+. The secondary led the way with 26 tackles and made some key plays in this game, but I think they lost the battle with the exceptional Mizzou receiving corps. With more accurate passing, this could have been a 500+ passing yardage game. Still, with the game on the line Chris Davis and his cohorts did what they had to do to hold Missouri scoreless in the 4th quarter while the offense salted the game way. I counted a letter grade off for Ryan White’s late hit out of bounds. In the stands, from the diametric opposite corner of the field, I bemoaned it as an effort-penalty that cost us yardage. The replay I saw later showed a hard shove at least ten yards out of bounds, and the Missouri player suffered a ghastly collision with the sharp corner of a cart. I’d like to apologize on behalf of Auburn for that hit. That’s not what we stand for. That said, based on what I know about Ryan White, that’s not what he’s about, either. It was a regrettable incident.

Punting: A. It was another masterful job by Steven Clark and the Auburn punt team. This was a weird game for me, watching punts. Sitting high in the corner of the end zone Clark was kicking to, it looked like to me that most of his punts went straight up, and were usually in danger of hitting the lights. More than once I exclaimed, “oh, no!” and prepared to lament a bad punt. Clark averaged 40 yards a punt, and all three were downed inside the ten. Bravo!

Punt Returns: A. Missouri’s Christian Brinser had a great leg on the day, hitting 5 punts for 45 yards. However, Auburn’s return team negated much of that advantage. Chris Davis broke two of the long punts for 36 yards, and negated the roll on two others with fair catches. Brinser ended up with no punts killed inside the Auburn 20.

Kick Returns: B-. Auburn only had two opportunities here, as Missouri’s plan was mostly to boom ‘em out of the end zone. Auburn’s 14 yard per return average looks bad on paper, but one was a sky-kick effort just before halftime that Nosa Eguae fielded, battled upfield for 7 yards, and gave Auburn good field position at the 27. Corey Grant fielded the other one at the goal line, and made the 21.

Place-kicking: A+. Cody Parkey did miss a 54-yard attempt, that would have been a career-long. However, I can’t count off for that, as it was a coaching miscue to even attempt it. It was 4th and 5, and I felt like Auburn should have either gone for it, or punted, especially considering how expertly Steven Clark has punted lately. Jermaine Whitehead kept Auburn from yielding points off the mistake with an interception subsequently. Otherwise, Parkey was perfect on the day, including a career-long 52 yarder. He hit 8 of 9 kickoffs for touchbacks, and the one that wasn’t got stopped at the 14 yard line. Parkey also recovered his onside kick attempt.

Offensive Line: A+. Three different Auburn linemen received holding penalties in this one, and ordinarily I’d be docking some points. However, I saw numerous plays on both side where blatant tackles were made on defensive players, and I’ll confess that I suspect the SEC just goes by a quota system and randomly calls holds. On a team that rushed the ball for 565 yards in a championship game, against the number 2 rushing defense in the conference, I can’t give less than an A+. Strategically, Missouri actually seemed to be retreating late in the game. Whipped up front, they were going with a 3 man line, hoping to somehow avoid Auburn’s blocking up front and slow Auburn rushers down. That was a sure sign of desperation, at that point.

Running Backs: A+. No fumbles, no penalties, good blocking, 407 rushing yards, and 6 touchdowns… I don’t know what more anyone could possibly want out of their backfield. Jay Prosch was a monster, and he was joined by a heavy dose of Brandon Fulse lining up as an H-back in this game and blocking pretty well, too. Welcome back, Mr. Fulse! You’ve been missed! I don’t know if FSU’s quarterback can be denied the Heisman, but I think Tre Mason’s a clear #2, at this point. What an awesome, fantastic game, and SEASON, from Tre Mason!

Receivers: A. Auburn’s crew here in the Georgia Dome was looking to put a hat on a hat, in this game, and they did. Sammie Coates burned ‘em several times downfield, and Ricardo Louis had a good day on speed sweeps. Trovon Reed has largely been used as an unsung blocker this season, but he came up with a great catch in this one when he was called on. There were no dropped balls, in this game.

Quarterback: B+. I counted off a letter grade for three first half fumbles, one of which was returned for a score. That could have been a back-breaker in any game. However, Nick Marshall recovered from his mistakes, and played championship ball. We’ll still hear the critics saying that he’s a defensive back that can’t pass, I’m sure. I’d like to point out that Nick was 9 of 11 in this game for a gaudy 12 yards per pass. And that was against a division champion. He also added 101 rushing yards for good measure. What’s not necessarily measurable in the published stats is how deceptive he is with his ball movement, and how well he reads the defense on the option plays. I’ll echo what most Auburn fans believe here, we’re quite lucky to have him. I can’t wait to see how he does, going forward. He’s a phenomenal player.

Hail to the SEC Champions! We’re headed to Pasadena to play for the national title, for the second time in the past four seasons! Does it get any better? These Auburn football players have made quite the journey in the past 365 days. From a team that was pitied by Alabama this time last year, and was gifted with only a 7 touchdown loss in the Iron Bowl, to the SEC Champions and BCS National Championship participant in just a year? I think it’s unprecedented. Auburn has already tied the NCAA record for biggest improvement, and can break it over FSU’s head on January 6th!

The future is bright for this team, even beyond this season. We’ve got a fantastic head coach signed on for a while, and I’d figure most of Auburn’s talented assistants aren’t going anywhere, unless it’s to a plum head-coaching job in the FBS. Auburn will lose some valued seniors to graduation, and probably a junior or two by the time it’s over this winter. That happens on any good team in the NCAA. This team has a ton of young guys that are improving by leaps and bounds returning.

From worst, to first, in a single season. The team that overwhelmed Missouri in Atlanta is a far cry from even the team that held on against Dread Pirate Mike Leach’s Washington State team on Labor Day weekend, much less last year’s team. Persistence is the key to improvement, as this team has learned. I would not be surprised to find them drastically improved in January, after what I’ve seen this season. Experts, pick against Auburn at your peril. We welcome it.

It’s all over but the shouting!(Photo by Acid Reign)

War Eagle! SEC Champions! There’s so much to be thankful for this weekend. Most of all, I have to hand it to a group of young men who suffered through abject failure last season, and picked up the pieces. Coaches or not, these young men did it. I have no doubt whatsoever that we’ll look back decades in the future at this team, with all of these guys being celebrated as successes in life.

I’d also like to hand it to the Auburn fans who stayed true through our darkest year since color television. Auburn fans never abandoned ship. The Georgia Dome was rocking, Saturday, and it was the 70 percent blue and orange clad bunch who never gave in, and celebrated another championship. It’s great to be an Auburn Tiger!

.....Still making noise after all these years! Lifetime slacker, dreamer, and miscreant with a knack for calculation. I was born in the United State of Texas, but have spent the majority of my years here amongst the shaded hills of the Tragic City, enjoying glorious smog-enhanced sunsets. In a troubled county, I live in a little slice of paradise between the ridges of Red and Shades Mountains.
I've been an obsessive Auburn football follower since the Punt-Bama-Punt days, and have seen a lot of great football on the Plains. This lazy shirker finally learned the value of hard work and persistence from the fine folks in Auburn, and enjoys his return visits immensely!
Hobbies include guitar-playing (or really just making loud and weird noise on any sort of instrument or object), cooking, computers, tennis, and old-school pen and paper RPGs.
I love getting together with a good drink, great family, and friends. View Profile →

43 Comments

I really, really appreciate the effort that you put in to your analyses. It’s like having a good “homer” – you see things from Auburn’s perspective, but you’re never afraid to provide sound criticism and commentary.

I do have a comment on the Ryan White penalty. It seemed to me that the Josey grabbed White’s face mask, and I believe White reacted in anger. That does not forgive the action, and I thank the Lord that Josey was not seriously injured when he hit the cart.

My other reaction is to your feeling the need to apologize. This may be a philosophical issue, but I don’t ever think it is appropriate to apologize for the actions of a person for whom I have no authority. Should the coaches, who teach White what to do, apologize? Yes, if his actions are counter to their teachings. Should White apologize? Absolutely, if his intentions were harmful. But you or me? No.

At any rate, Josey was, thankfully, not badly hurt, and their were no apparent negative repercussions.

…..One of the things that moved me to write that was Kirk Herbstreit’s statements on gameday. He’s an Ohio State grad, and one of the more objective TV guys. He was calling out a few Ohio state fans over a previous week series of Ohio State linemen unsportsman-like incidents. I liked what he said. I absolutely hate that an Auburn player shoved someone out of bounds, and risked a serious injury.

…..No, I don’t have any authority over any Auburn player, or coach. But I can let any one reading know that I did not approve. I’m not an objective reporter. I’m a fan hopefully clearly presenting my opinion. That’s a distinction some folks fail to make. I’m opinion guy, nothing more. And I am a big fan of my school!

We’re really not far apart. One of the great things about the Auburn Family in general and TET in particular is the sincere way that opinions are stated. I would not be a happy camper if I thought any AU athlete in any sport, or their coaches, was not playing cleanly and in a sportsmanlike manner.

We had a fantastic little gathering on Pensacola Beach last night to witness and celebrate one of the greatest comebacks in college football history… like you said, from “From Worst to First”! If we can win in Pasadena it’s because of a great coach, a team that believes in each other, and an incredible Auburn family. It’s great to be an Auburn Tiger!

While I don’t expect everyone to be on board the War Eagle Wagon, I think its more than past time for this team to start getting some respect….not because deserve it but because they have EARNED it. If you watch Auburn Everyday you know that this team has bought totally into Gus’ system and have worked hard to improve each and every week. What’s most impressive is that they have haven’t had a let down since the LSU game, which seems an aberration now.

I think most people are just so surprised that Auburn is back at the top of the mountain, they can’t comprehend that its anything more than smoke and mirrors. I don’t think they can come to grips with the fact that we had this talent last year, but Chizik didn’t have the teams heart.
The “experts” totally neglect the fact that we beat Arky and UT handily on the road, that we dominated a very good and essentially healthy Georgia team for 50 minutes, that we beat the unbeatable Bama, and then beat the best team in the SEC outside of Alabama.
What makes FSU so special? They have not been tested this season. What are they going to do when bust them in the mouth? Will they be able to fight for 60 minutes against an opponent that will not relent, that believes they are destined to prevail.
I expect FSU to be every bit as formidable as Bama but with a month to prepare who are you gonna bet on…..Gus or Jimbo?
I can’t wait to see Nick Marshall’s improvement with an extra month of practice and to see if Gus can top the spectacular performance that was on display last night. What a magical season….and I am enjoying every second of it.

Hope you are right about FSU and hope they dial up a lot of pressure and confusion for FSU’s rookie QB. Maybe he will be high as a kite after winning the Heisman, and be a deer in the headlights in Pasadena. War

I think you are right. Even after skull dragging the SECs best for the past three games, some people still think it’s all smoke and mirrors. What’s really scary is that I don’t think this team has peaked yet. Their best game is yet to come.

No doubt we haven’t seen the best of this team. A month. They have a MONTH to get healthy and prepare for FSU. Marshall has a month to work on the passing game, work on his mechanics and develop chemistry with some secondary receivers.
Auburn is playing with house money, they have nothing to lose and they are eager to show the world that they are not a fluke. That makes them VERY dangerous.

Again, a terriffic analysis. Got down on the secondary and White’s gaffe on the livestream, and was accused of being a bammer (laughable since i’m an Auburn grad and currently paying out of state tuition for a kid). So i quit posting. What an awesome finish… how Malzahn and staff got them jacked up a week after a historical iron bowl win is truly inspiring. As for White, i’m sure he regrets his cheap shot, and am sure he got an earful from the coaches. He does, however, represent Auburn and must live our creed. Looking forward to your bcs pre-game analysis. War Eagle!

As one of those who spoke up, welcome to TET! I’ve been called out on some of my opinions and, in one case, apologized for inadvertently stepping on someone’s toes.
I don’t think White’s hit was a deliberate cheap shot, though. See my earlier comment.
Again, welcome.
War Eagle.

Acid, a little too hard on the secondary. They shut down the Mizzou air attack in the fourth quarter. Did you see Davis jump up in the air and break up a number of passes? And he was going against a guy with at least five inches height advantage. And Whitehead also made some great plays. Let’s give them a gentelman’s C.

I am normally disappointed with our secondary. But I thought the guys did a pretty good job against the basketball team.

The defense gave up a scary 42 points over the course of the game. But only gave up 14 points in the second half, meaning the third quarter because they shut down Mizzou’s offense in the fourth quarter.

The D line really put the pressure on Franklin. Gus and Ellis quickly grasped that if they couldn’t corral the WRs, the next best option was pressure on the QB.

…..With respect, we were toast this game in the back 5, at least half the time. Toast. Chis Davis was good, and they stupidly targeted him. Otherwise, guys were open. What was encouraging was that when a good throw wasn’t made, our guys were still hustling. Mincy was beaten a few times, but ran himself back into contention, and swatted the ball out. Same story with Jermaine Whitehead, who ended a yellow-tiger drive with an interception.

Great game analysis as usual. I’ll give you an A+ for your effort. I have some special comments about this wonderful team that will have to wait. In light of what transpired last year, I am still having problems believing that this year has been real. I am only one generation removed from Sicily and I still get very emotional, especially about all things Auburn. I will have more to say later in the week. For now, NEVER FORGET:

…..It’s tough to learn to make a good red sauce, unless you’re around Sicilians. And they are tough folks, too. They’ve existed for millenniums, amid Europe’s largest volcano, terrible Mediterranean storms, and competing empires. Kudos.

…..I’m likewise a huge fan of Louisiana food. Still trying to learn a little, at this late date.

Dear ESPN: We just beat #1 and #5 in two consecutive Saturdays. Within a week. FSU will be tough, but they will not blow us out of the water. May the ‘Noles sleep with fear of our rushing attack and noteworthy harassment of quarterbacks.

Is it too early for predictions??? We’re about to head into football hibernation and I gotta get this out!

I’m predicting a blow out win over FSU. Their schedule was weak, they’ve never played from behind, Auburn has had to play starters all four qtrs (for the most part). Auburn has had to fight for every minute of every game this season and still had to get some help from the football gods (UGA game and Mich St win – NOT kick six – that was totally Davis’)

FSU has been shutting down their game by early to mid 4th qtr and they are inexperienced at this level of competition on the biggest stage. We got seniors who’ve been here, done this and Gus probably learned valuable lessons on prepping for a Natty Championship in 2010.

Somewhere between Winston’s Heisman win and the David Letterman AND the fact that he’s got a month to contemplate the severity of this game, he’s going to get caught up in the hype. We are going to jump on them early and since they’ve never played from behind, his inexperience will finally show. Winston will press and he will have a first half disaster (a ‘la Nick @ LSU) and they will have to abandon their game plan to try and catch up.

Their D will be gassed in the 2nd half because they aren’t used to our pace and Tre will just be getting warmed up. Heisman voters will regret their voting for Winston instead of Mason but Tre will be somewhat vindicated by winning the MVP a new BCS record for rushing in a game.

Our D line will show up crazy intense and get in their head. I think we can hang 60+ on them. Vegas is giving 3:1 odds; I’d put it all on Auburn and triple my winnings. Okay! I feel better now…

Exactly how I see it. Not sure if it will be a certifiable blowout, but im thinkin 10-14 points. Im SOOOOO glad AU is being given underdog status once again! AU is at its most dangerous in this position.

Im thinking that the timing on the zone read is easier to maintain over this long break than reciever-QB timing. Also, based on the few times ive seem them Winston doesnt appear to be very quick, strong, but not quick. Sort of like a slower version of Franklin. Also have they faced any pass tush this year? Can’t wait to dive into the numbers!

Yes, what you said… It will be easier for Auburn to scout/prep for FSU’s offense but FSU will have a headache trying to coach kids to stay disciplined to assignments. And even if they do, our line is our biggest weapon – they take care of business. I think all of this will get to Winston and they ultimately will not be able to keep up – bottom line. Love that we’re underdogs in this one…

…..Heh. Give Derrick all the credit. He sent me ONE great shot. Gotta wonder what other wonders he’s got stored! We’ve seen what magic he’s worked with Photoshop on Fridays. What else is in store, in the future?

……Me, I snapped about 350 shots from the rafters with my little tiny Nikon toy, and have maybe 10 I can use in the future. I’m not sure how he got that big camera past security. They wanted to take my wallet away, going in. I’m guessing that my “dumb, herd-animal look” I’ve practiced over the years helped. Here’s to P-coats with multiple inside pockets!

Thanks for all the wonderful comments on Sicilians. They are warm, wonderful and emotional. I have tears in my eyes just thinking about all of my wonderful family memories. Maybe I can dig up some of my wife’s(Messina) and my family’s recipes for a future comment. If I’m not mistaken, one of Auburn’s first All Americans in football was named D’ Agostino. That’s a good Sicilian name. This is truly a team of destiny. What a great year to celebrate my fifty years of being an Auburn Tiger! And, everyone knows:

Acid, thanks again for the excellent article. I am sure others have mentioned this, but just before the penality for pushing the Missouri player while out of bounds, the same Missouri player just a few seconds earlier on the same play, had his fingers inside White’s facemask and was using it to avoid the tackle. Two wrongs do not make a right and we need to control our emotions and actions. I have used this on other players to avoid tackles and have had it happen to me many times. This was over forty years ago when it was not called. The feeling that you get when it is used on you is really something hard to describe. I believe that White may have just been operating on adrenaline when the push happened and was not really aware of exactly where they were in relations to the sideline. After the same play I also noticed another Missouri player came over and also pushed an Auburn player while he was out of bounds in the same area close to the cart. As everyone knows the fingers in the facemask and the out of bounds pushing of the Auburn player were not called. Every one hang on this ride on the Gus Bus is still not over. It sure is great to be an Auburn Tiger!
WAR EAGLE!

What do you think is the issue with the secondary? Is it an issue of over-matched talent, technique/coaching, some combination of both?

It seems the defensive backfield is the one area the last few years in which we haven’t loaded up on elite recruits, and to make things worse, we have lost a few of those we did sign before they could contribute. (Johnathon Rose, Erique Florence come to mind.) Are we paying the price for not recruiting/retaining top personnel at this position?

……The thing is that in this day and age, when you get guys who can run, catch the ball, and are 6 foot three or more, you play ‘em at wide receiver. I think Missouri’s bunch is a mismatch against anyone’s secondary in the country. They repeatedly got Green-Beckham loose on a safety, and there’s few, if any that can match up with him. Pinkel’s passing schemes are top-notch. Much like Bobby Petrino, if they sense any sort of mismatch, they are setting it up again, and again.

…..One thing you have to remember is that Auburn is not really playing at safety with the guys we thought we’d have this past spring. We had starter Demetruce McNeil kicked off the team. Starter Joshua Holsey blew out a knee and was gone. Jermaine Whitehead has good speed and ball skills, but could stand to be 15-20 pounds heavier. He’s a converted corner. Ryan Smith and Ryan White started down the depth chart some, and are now having to carry the load. White was pressed into emergency safety service midway through this season, with little practice at it.

The personal fowl call on White was unfortunate. He and the running back engaged as White was trying to force him out of bounds. The running back attempted a stiff arm that turned into grabbing White’s face mask as they continued out of bounds. White was understandably upset about the face mask and he probably thought he could take an extra shove and get away with it. Probably hoping for offsetting penalties. I believe that he learned that you can’t always count on equity and must try to overlook some of these things. Also, I do not believe that this is typical of White’s style of play, nor do our coaches coach retaliation. The last time I saw deliberate dirty play from an Auburn player was in the 2010 season by our running back Smith. He took shots whenever he could. Watch a replay of the National Championship game for a blatant example. Chizik chewed him out but continued to allow him to play.

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